TOUGH ECONOMIC times have not stopped title sponsor RBTT/RBC from throwing its full support behind the sixth annual Pan In De City on Saturday.President and country head of RBTT/RBC, Horace Cobham, did not disclose the figure, but he said the sum had been increased by 50 per cent.“The actual number doesn’t matter; I think the key is that the event is growing . . . . We thought it would be good to increase our sponsorship to support this event . . . . The sponsorship cost increases and we’re still there with this. It’s six years and counting,” Cobham told the DAILY NATION.He added: “This oft-times causes corporate sponsors like ourselves to think and relook our sponsorship, because, like everyone else, we feel the pinch. But we nevertheless decided not only to continue sponsorship of this event, but actually increase the sponsorship to this event. “Because we believe that it meets the needs of RBTT/RBC in terms of its corporate social responsibility, we’re pleased to be a participant in this event yet another year.” Coordinator Karen Pestaina said the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) wanted to bring people closer to the pan.The parade leaves the Central Bank at 6 p.m. with Trinidad’s LH Pan Groove and the RBTT/RBC staff, winding its way through the backstreets and into Independence Square for a taste of a pan yard lime. Pestaina said four stages would be set up in Independence Square and the various pan groups would have a sort of duel in 15-minute segments.Bands providing the entertainment will be Pan Xtreme, Banks Sound Tech, Reddy Panners, Tropical Steel and the Antiguan group Panache.The BTI car park will remain open in order to avoid congestion in and around Bridgetown.Meanwhile, Pestaina said the pan groups associated with the event had decided to form an association. She said it was a direct result of the collaborations with the banks, the NCF and the groups. (YB)
